MAPPING TUSCANY

It was the sea - not wine, food, a man or the rolling hills - that made me move to Tuscany in 1999. Having grown-up in a landlocked country,  from day one at work I pestered everybody in Montalcino for advice on  the best beach town and the perfect sea view on the Tuscan coast. It turned out to be an easy  mission since the locals sent me unanimously to Castiglione della Pescaia. The preferred seaside destination for people from Siena and Arezzo, Castiglione della Pescaia is also loved by the Swiss and Swedish, hence all the h oliday resorts and camping villages along some of its best beaches.  But unlike Marina di Grosseto or Principina a Mare, Castiglione della Pescaia has been a proper town way before the tourist boom took hold of the Tuscan coast. To  this day the  former fishing village has managed to keep its historic town center, clean beaches and even a handful of fishermen.  WHAT TO DO IN CASTIGLIONE DELLA PESCAIA  Swim and s...

Renaissance art, famous wine and perfect beaches are the first things that come to mind when talking about Tuscany. Lesser known is the region's Etruscan and Roman legacy. A shame if you consider that many of Tuscany's archaeology digs lie adjacent to beautiful hilltop towns and quite a few of the Etruscan museums are state of the art (at least for Italian standards). Less grand but also much lesser known than the Colosseum, these sites make for great off-the-beaten-path sightseeing all through Tuscany.  If anything  the problem is knowing where to start. Which is why I've pressed  British archaeologist Lucy Shipley for some expert advice on the matter.    Where in Tuscany are you digging? I dig at the site of Poggio Civitate, which is near the town of Vescovado di Murlo, about 20km south of Siena. Why on that particular hill? The Etruscan presence in the area was re-discovered by the Italian archaeologist Ranuccio Bianchi-Bandinelli in the 1920...

I always avoid Sundays at the beach:  no parking, too many beach towels, too much noise, too much queuing up for ice-cream - basically too many people.  Unless you talk winter in Tuscany. At that point Sundays at the beach mean c lear skies, warm and sunny afternoons, long walks on empty beaches and... queue-free ice-cream.  Winter walk on Castiglione della Pescaia's north beach

Most people who live in a bustling city know this one. The weekend on the horizon you study your city's Time Out guide (or similar), you read up on a few events, your partner or friends circle a few other options and after hours of discussing which theater/film/concert to go to... you open a bottle of wine and watch an old dvd. This is what could happen to anybody who travels through rural Tuscany during July and August (mind you, not during the rest of the year, when good live concerts are turning into a rare species). The list of events to contemplate for this Saturday (July 16) makes me tear my hair - why all in one night?! Below my top 5:

Never heard of my favorite bar in the beautiful Tuscan coastal town Castiglione della Pescaia? Understandably. Even though the bar is in prime position in front of the small harbor, there's not much else to be seen than the odd Fishermen having a quick drink before unloading his boat and a few holiday-makers strolling up and down the harbor front. And that's exactly where the charm of this bar lies. Perfectly unspectacular - bar il Porto, in Castiglione della Pescaia Why bother with crowded bars in Portofino or Capri if you can sit in front of the much more authentic  Circolo Marinai? With the elderly couple who runs the bar service can a bit slow and the interior design hasn't been changed for ages. So what? Sit down, have your Campari (or an alcohol free Crodino) and you'll finally understand what the concept of Dolce Vita is all about. Where : Castiglione della Pescaia, in my opinion the most beautiful town on the Tuscan shore.  When : The bar is normal...

Starting the day with caffè shakerato (ice coffee) at Fiumara Beach No doubt, my favorite time to hang out at Fiumara is the early evening. Grab your Prosecco and wait for the delicious fish to arrive whilst everybody else is swearing under their holiday apartment's lousy shower.  Fiumara's beach can get busy with locals and tourists during the day, but it is an oas is of calmness at aperitivo time (happy hour). Kite-surfers leave once the wind drops in the early evening, and everybody else seems to desert the beach once it's not sizzling hot anymore (I'll never understand it). Perfection really: with the wind gone you'll have the ideal te mperature for an early evening swim and once dried off a marvelous view and sunset  all to yourself.  Even the shower has style Should you not be able to get a table for dinner try for lunch, which is a simpler DIY affair from the counter, but food tastes still great and nobody worries if you look a bit dishevel...